Dukakis, Olympia

Moonstruck (Deluxe Edition)

Fall under the delightful spell of Moonstruck, the mesmerizing romantic comedy from director Norman Jewison (Fiddler on the Roof) and OscarÂ(r) winner* John Patrick Shanley. Academy AwardÂ(r) winners** Cher, Nicolas Cage and Olympia Dukakis excel in this explosively funny tale which also features flawless performances by Danny Aiello, Vincent Gardenia and Frasier's John Mahoney. Cher is "devastatingly funny, sinuous and beautiful" (Pauline Kael) as Loretta, an unlucky in love Italian widow who finds romance through the intervention of the Manhattan moon. With her wedding to a close friend just weeks away, she meets and falls hopelessly in love with his younger brother (Cage)! Her dilemma and her equally passionate and hilariously eccentric family make for an unforgettable film you'll find "beguiling" (Time), "enchanting" (Newsweek) and "irresistible" ("Today Show").

Working Girl

Melanie Griffith had a fling with stardom in this Mike Nichols comedy about an executive secretary (Griffith) who can't get her deserved shot at upward mobility in the brokerage industry. Hardly taken seriously by male bosses, things aren't really any better for her once she starts working for a female exec (Sigourney Weaver, never more delightful), a narcissist with a boy-toy banker (Harrison Ford) and a tendency to steal the best ideas from her underlings. When Weaver's character is laid up with a broken leg, Griffith poses as a replacement wheeler-dealer, flirting with Ford and working on a new client who doesn't suspect the deception. Nichols brings a lot of snap and sass to Kevin Wade's smart script about chafing against class restrictions and perceptions. Sundry scenes are played quite charmingly, especially those of Griffith and Ford's mutual pickup in a bar and Joan Cusack's championing of Griffith's crusade. Nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actress (Griffith), and two Supporting Actress awards (Weaver, Cusack); Carly Simon's song "Let the River Run" won the Oscar. --Tom Keogh

Nominated for 6 Academy Awards; director Mike Nichols' witty, romantic look at life in the corporate jungle stars Melanie Griffith as Tess McGill, an ambitious secretary with a unique approach for climbing the ladder to success. When her classy, but villainous boss (Sigourneey Weaver) Breaks a leg skiing, Tess simply takes over her office, her apartment, even her wardrobe. She then creates a deal with a handsome investment banker (Harrison Ford) that will either take her straight to the top - or finish her off for good.

Steel Magnolias (Special Edition)

Based on Robert Harling's play, this comedy-drama directed by Herbert Ross (The Turning Point) follows several years in the lives of women who regularly see one another at a beauty shop in their small Louisiana town. The story deepens as Julia Roberts, playing a serious diabetic and the daughter of Sally Field, goes downhill in her health. But as an ensemble piece, this is one of those enjoyably lumpy tearjerkers with many years' worth of stored truths suddenly being shared between the characters, lots of grievances aired, that sort of thing. Daryl Hannah and Shirley MacLaine assume the most eccentric roles, Dolly Parton the most fun, and Olympia Dukakis the most dignified, while Sally Field essentially provides the moral and emotional center of the movie. --Tom Keogh

Six divas of the silver screen -- Sally Field Dolly Parton Shirley MacLaine Daryl Hannah Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts -- come together as bosom buddies in this hilarious and heartwarming story of life love and loss in a small Louisiana Parish. At the center of the group is Shelby Eatenton (Julia Roberts) newly married and joyfully pregnant despite the fact that her diabetes could make childbirth life-threatening. Terrified and angry at the possibility of losing her only daughter M Lynn Eatenton (Sally Field) looks to her four closest friends for strength and laughter as she battles her deepest fears of death in order to join Shelby in celebrating the miracle of new life.System Requirements:Starring: Olympia Dukakis Sally Field Daryl Hannah Shirley MacLaine Dolly Parton Julia Roberts Dylan McDermott Kevin J. O Connor Sam Shepard and Tom Skerritt. Directed By: Herbert Ross Running Time: 119 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2000 Columbia TriStar Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG UPC: 043396702479 Manufacturer No: 70247

Mr. Holland's Opus

A musician resorts to teaching for financial security and discovers his own gift is teaching.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG
Release Date: 25-JAN-2005
Media Type: DVD

An earnest and at times overblown story of a music teacher's impact on those around him, Mr. Holland's Opus is at times a genuinely touching drama in the vein of It's a Wonderful Life. Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) plays an aspiring composer and musician who takes a job teaching music at a local high school to save money while he composes his music. But when his wife (Glenne Headley) becomes pregnant, Glenn Holland must put aside his dreams and address the everyday realities of his life, from the melancholy and sometimes tragic fates of his students to the discovery that the son he cherishes is deaf. Building to a highly emotional climax in which the teacher sees the impact he's had on the world around him, Mr. Holland's Opus is a showcase for a fine Oscar-nominated performance by Dreyfuss and an engaging, heartwarming story. --Robert Lane

Away from Her

Married for almost 50 years Grant's (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona's (Julie Christie) commitment to each other appears unwavering. Their daily life is filled with tenderness and humor; yet this serenity is broken by Fiona's increasingly evident memory loss - and her restrained references to a past betrayal. For a while the couple is able to casually dismiss these unwelcome changes. But when neither Fiona nor her husband can deny any longer that she is being consumed by Alzheimer's disease the couple is forced to wrenchingly redefine the limits of their love and loyalty - and face the complex inevitable transition from lovers to strangers.Cast: Julie Christie Gordon Pinsent Olympia DukakisDirector: Sarah PolleySystem Requirements:Run Time: 110 Mins. Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG-13 UPC: 031398217954 Manufacturer No: 21795

"I'm going," says a lovely, understated Julie Christie, in a heart-wrenching moment of recognition that Alzheimer's is slowly descending on her. "But I'm not gone." Away from Her, the directorial debut of young Canadian actress Sarah Polley, allows two themes--the growth of love, and the limits of the mind--to intertwine, uplift, fall, and rise again, throughout its arc. What should be relentlessly depressing is instead a film of great courage, humor, defiance--and a quality that Christie's character, Fiona, calls out in another defining moment: grace.

Away from Her chronicles a love story between Fiona and her longtime husband, Grant, played with bearlike stolidity by Gordon Pinsett, as the couple struggle with the onset and acceleration of Fiona's Alzheimer's disease. Moments of lucidity and wry observation pepper Fiona's decline, and Christie gives an unforgettable performance as a woman who is both ordinary and singular to those whom she's touched. The story is set against a frigid Canadian winter, with fields of snow as a background underscoring the bleakness of Fiona's diagnosis; yet life is constant and surprising, in the call of a meadowlark or the resurrected memory of a skunk lily. A scene of Fiona out for her daily cross-country ski shows Christie's gorgeous, sensual face in closeup against the snow, framed by a babushka, reminding the viewer of a similar scene of the decades-younger Christie in Dr. Zhivago. It's impossible not to be touched by the gifts of this extraordinary actress, through the life of this everywoman, whose very presence is shot through with grace. --A.T Hurley

The Librarian - Return to King Solomon's Mines

The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines is the highly-anticipated sequel to the popular TNT original movie The Librarian: Quest for the Spear. Noah Wyle ("ER") reprises his role as Flynn Carsen the nerdy yet precocious librarian who was called to protect the world's greatest secrets. Along with Wyle much of the original cast including Bob Newhart Olympia Dukakis and Jane Curtin return for another round of rip-roaring pulse-pounding adventure. In addition the lovely Gabrielle Anwar (Scent of a Woman) joins the cast to accompany Carsen in his mission to save the world's most valuable treasures. The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines is directed by Jonathan Frakes ("Star Trek: The Next Generation") with Dean Devlin (Independence Day The Patriot) serving as executive producer. The script is by Marco Schnabel based on characters created by David Titcher.System Requirements:Run Time: 92 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: NR UPC: 053939765229 Manufacturer No: T7652

Only one film under his belt, and already Flynn Carsen (Noah Wylie) is talking like Indiana Jones. "Relax," he tells a companion before daringly retrieving an ancient artifact before it can be used for evil. "This kind of stuff happens to me all the time." A character of modest charms (much like this made-for-cable movie), Carsen is not your typical movie action hero. His brain serves him better than his brawn. Early on, his knowledge of vegetation plays a key role in a cliff-jumping escape from pursuing bad guys. Carsen, for those just tuning in, is a librarian at the Metropolitan Library, which secretly houses history's mythic artifacts, including the sword Excalibur, and the Shroud of Turin. The fate of the world is once again in Carsen's hands when a map to the legendary King Solomon's Mines is stolen. Carsen embarks on another fantastic global adventure, with stops in Casablanca (with inevitable references to the Humphrey Bogart classic) and Kenya. This time, he has new female companionship, Emily (Gabrielle Anwar), a beautiful archaeologist who can match the much-educated Carsen degree for degree. Reprising their roles from the first film are Olympia Dukakis as Flynn's meddling mother, who tries to fix him up with his third cousin ("You'll have plenty to talk about"), Jane Curtin as flinty library administrator, Charlene ("Save your receipts"), and Bob Newhart as his mentor, Judson. Savvy viewers will see plot twists and character revelations coming from a mile away, but that is all part of the fun, as are the hokey special effects and knowing humor ("There's always a secret passage," Carsen observes while navigating a catacomb). Who know if there will ever be another Indiana Jones movie. Until then, The Librarian is worth checking out, especially on DVD, where it can be enjoyed without intrusive commercial interruption. --Donald Liebenson

The Librarian - Quest for the Spear

Broadcast to record ratings on the TNT cable network, this Raiders-esque adventure does not go by the book, staring with its atypical action hero and his decidedly uncool profession. Flynn Carsen (Noah Wylie from E.R.) is a thirtysomething perpetual student who still lives with his mother (Olympia Dukakis). When his exasperated professor finally ejects him into the real world, Carsen's Holmesian deductive acumen lands him a job as the librarian at the Metropolitan Library. This is not an ordinary library. It houses history's most mythic artifacts, including the Ark of the Covenant, Pandora's Box, and the sword Excalibur. The fate of the world is in Carsen's hands ("That's so sad," he observes) when the dread Serpent Brotherhood steals the library's Spear of Destiny, and Carsen must retrieve it. His reluctant, and antagonistic, partner is Nicole (Sonya Walger), who is as skilled in martial arts as Carsen is schooled in the Dewey Decimal System. Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin add welcome comic relief, with Newhart, of all people, getting into the action by film's end. The humble hero (who would rather be known as "Flynn, the rather pleasant at parties"), somewhat cheesy special effects, and corny comedy make The Librarian a fun guilty pleasure. As Carsen proclaims, "Being a librarian is actually a cool job." This looks like the beginning of a beautiful franchise. --Donald Liebenson

To be a librarian you must master the Dewey Decimal System ace internet research and if you're new librarian Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle) save the world! Wyle (ER) heads a sterling cast in a fun fantastical special effects-laden adventure that soars around the world from the Metropolitan Library to the Amazon jungle to the Himalayas. Geeky Carsen lands a job as the Librarian keeper of such top-secret Met treasures as Excalibur and Pandora's Box. Then the Serpent Brotherhood seeking world domination steals one of three parts of the magical Spear of Destiny from the library. Only Flynn aided by a gorgeous bodyguard has the knowhow to thwart their plan. But does he know how to be a hero? He will - even if he has to gouge kick punch brave Mayan death traps and plunge off icy precipices every inch of the way!Running Time: 106 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 053939690125

Sinatra

The Emmy-winning telefilm about singer/actor Frank Sinatra's remarkable life with over two-dozen Sinatra standards and a remarkable cast headed by Philip Casnoff Olympia Dukakis and Marcia Gay Harden. Year: 1992 Director: James Sadwith Starring: Philip Casnoff Olympia Dukakis Joe SantosFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 883929003976 Manufacturer No: 1000035913

The Wanderers

Tully High School seniors Richie, Joey and Perry run with a gang called the Wanderers in the Bronx. The time is fall 1963 but their experiences are universal: falling in love, surviving in school and defending turf against rivals like the Fordham Baldies, the Del Bombers and the Ducky Boys.

Joan of Arc

A strong cast, impressive production values, and astute direction distinguish this generally successful dramatization of the tumultuous life of the 15th-century French heroine whose military victories were eclipsed by her martyrdom. At the heart of the story is the conflict between the teenager's simple but fierce faith and the more complex political and theological issues that influence her downfall, a theme fleshed out through the portrayals of the young warrior's liege, the Dauphin (later King) Charles, and the Bishop Cauchon.

The 140-minute feature follows Joan D'Arc's odyssey from peasant obscurity to notoriety as the "Maid of Orleans," spiritual fulcrum for the beleaguered French forces struggling to halt English invaders. As played by Leelee Sobieski (Eyes Wide Shut), her evolution from naive farm girl to seasoned soldier is convincing, as is her gradual awakening to the underlying agendas of church and state. Most critically, Sobieski radiates the young girl's fervent spiritual devotion.

Framing Sobieski's focal performance are two equally fine turns from Neil Patrick Harris, who erases his legacy as TV's Doogie Howser, M.D. with a neatly shaded, steely Charles, and Peter O'Toole, who balances his signature reserve and present physical frailty to make Cauchon a moral compass for the story. Having opposed Joan as a threat to orthodoxy, the Bishop recognizes her purity too late; O'Toole turns this moment into a dreadful epiphany that resonates through the story's inevitable, fiery denouement. Fine supporting performances from Peter Strauss, Shirley MacLaine, and Maximillian Schell, plus evocative medieval locations in the Czech Republic, further buttress the story. French-Canadian director Christian Duguay handles the large-scale battle sequences with fluid blocking and smart camera work. --Sam Sutherland